If you were to pick three words to capture the political zeitgeist of the post-Sept. 11, 2001 era, what would they be? I would go with something like “Muslim,” “American” and “conflict.”

Now, if you were to pick three words that capture the mood of the conservative response Jan. 4, when Keith Ellison, D-Minn., became the first Muslim to be sworn in to the House of Representatives — doing so with the Quran nonetheless — what would those words be? I would go with something like “Muslim,” “American” and “conflict.”

You see, the significance of Ellison becoming the first Muslim to be elected to the House of Representatives is monumental along two different fronts in American society. The first is that Ellison’s election is quite possibly the most significant symbol of American democracy at work since the 1916 election of Jeanette Rankin, R-Mont., when she became the first woman to serve in Congress. With nearly 5 million Muslims in the U.S., a population greater than that of Jews or any other religious group other than Christians, the moderate majority voice of Islam finally has a significant representative in the Western world, and it couldn’t have come at a more vital time.

But the second and more socially exposing aspect of Ellison’s monumental position is the underscored misunderstanding of said moderate Muslim voice that prevails among many in the conservative coalition of this country. And the frontrunner, the commander of this fleet of false impression, is U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va.

When it became clear that Ellison would be sworn in using the Quran, the first to do so in American history, Goode sent out a public letter that stated that Ellison’s taking oath under the Quran was a dangerous threat to “the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America.” But nothing could be further from the truth. Except maybe what conservative columnist Dennis Prager said when he wrote: “If American citizens don’t wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Quran.” Close, but no cigar, Mr. Prager. Try if American citizens don’t wake up and realize the importance of electing more Muslims to Congress, then we will have lost a fundamental aspect of our democracy: that of representation.

What Mr. Prager and Rep. Goode have highlighted is a common misconception that Islam and its followers are more prone to fundamentalist tendencies than those who follow more “traditional values and beliefs in the U.S.” (We call these people Christians.)

The funny thing is that the terminology of religious fundamentalism was born from Protestant Christianity. It arose in this country when Protestants aimed to halt the seeming monopoly that science was claiming on truth by reverting to the fundamentals of the religion, which manifested itself in the literal interpretation of the Bible. Religious fundamentalism was therefore born, and remains still, as a reactionary position. It is a position no more prone to one faith over the other. You must understand, Commander Goode, that Islam is fully American.

The most glaring evidence of this reality conveniently arose during the swearing-in ceremony of Ellison — also Minnesota’s first African-American representative — when he used Thomas Jefferson’s 1764 copy of the Quran that had been translated into English. This was not only a savvy political move but also a meaningful reminder to all those who may have lingering confusion about the place of religious freedom in American society. After all, Jefferson did originate from Albemarle county of Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, currently represented by none other than Mr. Goode.

When commenting on the use of Jefferson’s Quran, Ellison accurately relayed a fundamental truth — not a fundamentalist truth — that has so often eluded a conservative faction of this country for far too long. When swearing in with Jefferson’s copy he said, “It demonstrates that from the very beginning of our country, we had people who were visionary, who were religiously tolerant, who believed that knowledge and wisdom could be gleaned from any number of sources, including the Quran.”

Andy Granias ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in political science and international studies.